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- Author or Editor: N. Prasad x
- Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology x
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Abstract
The evolution of precipitation in seeded wintertime orographically induced convective and stratiform clouds with embedded convection were studied using in situ observations and particle growth and trajectory models. The particle growth model of Heymsfield embedded in a kinematic flow field representative of the Sierra barrier was used to study the ice particle growth by diffusion, accretion and subsequent fall trajectories. The particles observed by the aircraft were classified into habits. The growth of observed particles were compared with the model predicted evolution. Using the aggregation model of Heymsfield, the observation of formation of aggregates in <10 minutes was verified. The key findings of this study were.. (i) Aggregates (>1 mm) form in 4–8 minutes after seeding a convective cloud. (ii) Riming is important close to the barrier in a stratiform cloud when large cloud droplets and liquid water up to 0.3 g m−3 are present. (iii) Diffusional growth is extremely important for temperatures near −15°C in these low liquid water content clouds. The particles grow to ∼2 mm when released from just colder than −15°C, and to ∼1 mm when falling from warmer than −15°C.
Abstract
The evolution of precipitation in seeded wintertime orographically induced convective and stratiform clouds with embedded convection were studied using in situ observations and particle growth and trajectory models. The particle growth model of Heymsfield embedded in a kinematic flow field representative of the Sierra barrier was used to study the ice particle growth by diffusion, accretion and subsequent fall trajectories. The particles observed by the aircraft were classified into habits. The growth of observed particles were compared with the model predicted evolution. Using the aggregation model of Heymsfield, the observation of formation of aggregates in <10 minutes was verified. The key findings of this study were.. (i) Aggregates (>1 mm) form in 4–8 minutes after seeding a convective cloud. (ii) Riming is important close to the barrier in a stratiform cloud when large cloud droplets and liquid water up to 0.3 g m−3 are present. (iii) Diffusional growth is extremely important for temperatures near −15°C in these low liquid water content clouds. The particles grow to ∼2 mm when released from just colder than −15°C, and to ∼1 mm when falling from warmer than −15°C.
Abstract
A three-dimensional cloud model, radiative transfer model-based simulation system is tested and validated against the aircraft-based radiance observations of an intense convective system in southeastern Virginia on 29 June 1986 during the Cooperative Huntsville Meteorological Experiment. NASA's ER-2, a high-altitude researchaircraft with a complement of radiometers operating at 1 I-pm infrared channel and IS-, 37-, 92-, and 183-GHz microwave channels provided data for this study. The cloud model successfully simulated the cloud systemwith regard to aircraft- and radar-observed cloud-top heights and diameters and with regard to radar-observed reflectivity structure. For the simulation time found to correspond best with the aircraft- and radar-observed structure, brightness temperatures Tb are simulated and compared with observations for all the microwave frequencies along with the 1 1 -pm infrared channel. Radiance calculations at the various frequencies correspond well with the aircraft observations in the areas of deep convection. The clustering of 37-174-GHz Tb observationsand the isolation of the 18-GHz values over the convective cores are well simulated by the model. The radiative transfer model, in general, is able to simulate the observations reasonably well from 18 GHz through 174 GHz within all convective areas of the cloud system. When the aircraft-observed 18- and 37-GHz, and 90- and 174-GHz 7's are plotted against each other, the relationships have a gradual difference in the slope due to the differences in the ice particle size in the convective and more stratiform areas of the cloud. The model is ableto capture these differences observed by the aircraft. Brightness temperature-rain rate relationships compare reasonably well with the aircraft observations in terms of the slope of the relationship.The model calculations are also extended to select high-frequency channels at 220, 340, and 400 GHz to simulate the Millimeter-wave Imaging Radiometer aircraft instrument to be flown in the near future. All three of these frequencies are able to discriminate the convective and anvil portions of the system, providing useful information similar to that from the frequencies below 183 GHz but with potentially enhanced spatial resolution from a satellite platform. In thin clouds, the dominant effect of water vapor is seen at 174, 340, and 400 GHz.In thick cloudy areas, the scattering effect is dominant at 90 and 220 GHz, while the overlying water vapor can attenuate at 174, 340, and 400 GHz. All frequencies (90-400 GHz) show strong signatures in the core.
Abstract
A three-dimensional cloud model, radiative transfer model-based simulation system is tested and validated against the aircraft-based radiance observations of an intense convective system in southeastern Virginia on 29 June 1986 during the Cooperative Huntsville Meteorological Experiment. NASA's ER-2, a high-altitude researchaircraft with a complement of radiometers operating at 1 I-pm infrared channel and IS-, 37-, 92-, and 183-GHz microwave channels provided data for this study. The cloud model successfully simulated the cloud systemwith regard to aircraft- and radar-observed cloud-top heights and diameters and with regard to radar-observed reflectivity structure. For the simulation time found to correspond best with the aircraft- and radar-observed structure, brightness temperatures Tb are simulated and compared with observations for all the microwave frequencies along with the 1 1 -pm infrared channel. Radiance calculations at the various frequencies correspond well with the aircraft observations in the areas of deep convection. The clustering of 37-174-GHz Tb observationsand the isolation of the 18-GHz values over the convective cores are well simulated by the model. The radiative transfer model, in general, is able to simulate the observations reasonably well from 18 GHz through 174 GHz within all convective areas of the cloud system. When the aircraft-observed 18- and 37-GHz, and 90- and 174-GHz 7's are plotted against each other, the relationships have a gradual difference in the slope due to the differences in the ice particle size in the convective and more stratiform areas of the cloud. The model is ableto capture these differences observed by the aircraft. Brightness temperature-rain rate relationships compare reasonably well with the aircraft observations in terms of the slope of the relationship.The model calculations are also extended to select high-frequency channels at 220, 340, and 400 GHz to simulate the Millimeter-wave Imaging Radiometer aircraft instrument to be flown in the near future. All three of these frequencies are able to discriminate the convective and anvil portions of the system, providing useful information similar to that from the frequencies below 183 GHz but with potentially enhanced spatial resolution from a satellite platform. In thin clouds, the dominant effect of water vapor is seen at 174, 340, and 400 GHz.In thick cloudy areas, the scattering effect is dominant at 90 and 220 GHz, while the overlying water vapor can attenuate at 174, 340, and 400 GHz. All frequencies (90-400 GHz) show strong signatures in the core.
Abstract
A three-dimensional cloud model-microwave radiative transfer model combination is used to study the relations among the precipitation and other microphysical characteristics of a tropical oceanic squall line and the upwelling radiance at pertinent microwave frequencies. Complex brightness temperature-rain rate relations are evident at the full horizontal resolution (1.5 km) of the models, with spatial avenging producing smoother, shifted relations, in most cases. Nonprecipitating cloud water is shown to be important in understanding the resulting distribution of brightness temperature. At the mature stage, convective portions of the cloud system are shown to produce different brightness temperature relations than the stratiform portion, primarily related to the distribution of cloud water. The evolution of the convective system from a small convective complex through its mature stage and the beginning of its dissipation also is shown to result in a variation of brightness temperature-rain relations, related to the distribution of cloud water and the evolution of ice in the precipitating system. The results of the study paint to the need to take into account the evolution of nonprecipitating cloud water and precipitation-sized ice in the retrieval of rain team from microwave space observations. This effect is evident for both the life cycle of individual convective elements and the life cycle of the convective system as a whole.
Abstract
A three-dimensional cloud model-microwave radiative transfer model combination is used to study the relations among the precipitation and other microphysical characteristics of a tropical oceanic squall line and the upwelling radiance at pertinent microwave frequencies. Complex brightness temperature-rain rate relations are evident at the full horizontal resolution (1.5 km) of the models, with spatial avenging producing smoother, shifted relations, in most cases. Nonprecipitating cloud water is shown to be important in understanding the resulting distribution of brightness temperature. At the mature stage, convective portions of the cloud system are shown to produce different brightness temperature relations than the stratiform portion, primarily related to the distribution of cloud water. The evolution of the convective system from a small convective complex through its mature stage and the beginning of its dissipation also is shown to result in a variation of brightness temperature-rain relations, related to the distribution of cloud water and the evolution of ice in the precipitating system. The results of the study paint to the need to take into account the evolution of nonprecipitating cloud water and precipitation-sized ice in the retrieval of rain team from microwave space observations. This effect is evident for both the life cycle of individual convective elements and the life cycle of the convective system as a whole.
Abstract
Simulations of observations from potential spaceborne radars are made based on storm structure generated from the three-dimensional (3D) Goddard cumulus ensemble model simulation of an intense overland convective system. Five frequencies of 3, 10, 14, 35, and 95 GHz are discussed, but the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission precipitation radar sensor frequency ( 14 GHz) is the focus of this study. Radar reflectivities and their attenuation in various atmospheric conditions are studied in this simulation. With the attenuation from cloud and precipitation in the estimation of reflectivity factor (dBZ), the reflectivities in the lower atmosphere in the convective coresare significantly reduced. With spatial resolution of 4 km X 4 km, attenuation at 14 GHz may cause as large as a 20-dBZ difference between the simulated measurements of the peak (Zmp) and near-surface reflectivity (Zmp) in the most intense convective region. The Zmp occurs at various altitudes depending on the hydrometeor concentrations and their vertical distribution. Despite the significant attenuation in the intense cores, the presence of the rain maximum is easily detected by using information of Zmp. In the stratiform region, the attenuation is quite limited (usually less than 5 dBZ), and the reduction of reflectivity is mostly related to the actual vertical structure of cloud distribution. Since Zmp suffers severe attenuation and tends to underestimate surface rainfall intensity in convective regions, Zmp can be more representative for rainfall retrieval in the lower atmosphere in these regions. In the stratiform region where attenuation is negligible, however, Zmp tends to overestimate surface rainfall and Zmp is more appropriate for rainfall retrieval. A hybrid technique using a weight between the two rain intensities is testedand found potentially useful for future applications. The estimated surface rain-rate map based on this hybrid approach captures many of the details of the cloud model rain field but still slightly underestimates the rain-rate maximum.
Abstract
Simulations of observations from potential spaceborne radars are made based on storm structure generated from the three-dimensional (3D) Goddard cumulus ensemble model simulation of an intense overland convective system. Five frequencies of 3, 10, 14, 35, and 95 GHz are discussed, but the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission precipitation radar sensor frequency ( 14 GHz) is the focus of this study. Radar reflectivities and their attenuation in various atmospheric conditions are studied in this simulation. With the attenuation from cloud and precipitation in the estimation of reflectivity factor (dBZ), the reflectivities in the lower atmosphere in the convective coresare significantly reduced. With spatial resolution of 4 km X 4 km, attenuation at 14 GHz may cause as large as a 20-dBZ difference between the simulated measurements of the peak (Zmp) and near-surface reflectivity (Zmp) in the most intense convective region. The Zmp occurs at various altitudes depending on the hydrometeor concentrations and their vertical distribution. Despite the significant attenuation in the intense cores, the presence of the rain maximum is easily detected by using information of Zmp. In the stratiform region, the attenuation is quite limited (usually less than 5 dBZ), and the reduction of reflectivity is mostly related to the actual vertical structure of cloud distribution. Since Zmp suffers severe attenuation and tends to underestimate surface rainfall intensity in convective regions, Zmp can be more representative for rainfall retrieval in the lower atmosphere in these regions. In the stratiform region where attenuation is negligible, however, Zmp tends to overestimate surface rainfall and Zmp is more appropriate for rainfall retrieval. A hybrid technique using a weight between the two rain intensities is testedand found potentially useful for future applications. The estimated surface rain-rate map based on this hybrid approach captures many of the details of the cloud model rain field but still slightly underestimates the rain-rate maximum.
